Illustrated Moss Flora of Antarctica
Cambridge University Press, 11/13/2008
EAN 9780521814027, ISBN10: 0521814022
Hardcover, 704 pages, 28.2 x 22.9 x 3.8 cm
Language: English
Mosses are a major component of the vegetation in ice-free coastal regions of Antarctica. They play an important role in the colonisation of ice-free terrain, accumulation of organic matter, release of organic exudates, and also provide a food and habitat resource for invertebrates. They serve as model organisms for physiological experiments designed to elucidate problems of plant cold tolerance and survival mechanisms and for monitoring biological responses to climate change. This Flora provides the first comprehensive description, with keys, of all known species and varieties of moss in the Antarctic biome. It has involved microscopic examination of around 10,000 specimens from Antarctica and, for comparison, from other continents. All species are illustrated by detailed line drawings, alongside information about their reproductive status, ecology, and distribution. This is an invaluable resource for bryologists worldwide, as well as to Antarctic botanists and other terrestrial biologists.
Taxonomic and nomenclatural novelties
Foreword Sir Martin W. Holdgate
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. History of muscological investigations in Antarctica
3. Terrestrial environment and moss ecology of Antarctica
4. Diversity and phytogeography of the moss flora
5. Background to the Flora
6. Systematic accounts of the taxa
Glossary
References
Index to Latin plant names.
'A beautiful, self-contained account of what is the major component of the Antarctic flora, this book represents the culmination of many years of meticulous research and extensive fieldwork. The authors' intimate knowledge of the Antarctic biome and of mosses shines through ... this is a highly informative and practical book that will greatly benefit researchers undertaking applied and ecological research on the Antarctic bryoflora, as well as conservation organisations. The first five chapters are very readable and interesting and the systematic treatment of the taxa in Chapter 6 is of the highest standard. I cannot recommend this flora too highly.' Annals of Botany